These politicians are unbelievable, Alan Turing (with the help of other Bletchley Park people of course) shortened WW2 and saved 1,000's of lives so it's good to see the Queen step in and grant a formal pardon and give the posh boys like Cameron a bit of a slap, of course there's never been a gay politician Still a disgrace that it took so long.
Well, they get the implicit acknowledgement that it was morally f***ed up to prosecute people for homosexuality. Think of Turing as a symbol as well as a man.
Not really, or they would all have been pardoned. It seems like he was pardoned because he was famous.
He was pardoned because he is an embarrassment for the government and the legal system. Man practically saved us from the Nazis, and as thanks he got witch-hunted into suicide by a puritan establishment that couldn't get over what two consenting adults get up to in the privacy of their own bedroom --thus proving that they were pretty fascist themselves.
What good is this to a man that's been dead for 60 years? This is nonsense of the highest order to make a small group of the living feel a bit better about themselves. A ****ing pardon is just an exception to those laws made for Turing because of the significant contributions he's made during his life. As was already said this does nothing to acknowledge others who were persecuted under this law. And as insignificant as this pardon is, even that was rejected last year according to the article. A real point of equality would see the public condemnation of the governments and citizens who created supported and enforced such a disturbing, small minded, backwater, hillbilly law.
It's complicated. The problem is that he was convicted under a law that has since been repealed. Under the current law, he would be not guilty. But as far as I'm aware there is no legal revision for people who have been convicted under an old law that is not current anymore, because no matter what the situation is now, at the time they did break the law and due process (as it was then) was followed. Seems kinda stupid, but there you are. Perhaps a forum member with a law degree can enlighten us how it works. In any case we should be pleased. No matter what you think of this token act, it has made more people aware of Turing (good), his works (good) and the stupidity and hypocrisy of persecuting people for their sexual orientation (very good).
